1. Field of the Invention
Present embodiments generally relate to a lock assembly. More specifically, but without limitation, present embodiments relate to a lock assembly which may be used for doors or drawers in mobile mounted appliances or cabinets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Appliance locks are required for use in appliances and cabinets, which are mounted for use in mobile application, such as for non-limiting example, recreational vehicles (RV), aircraft or marine craft. Appliances should be able to lock so as not to open during operation or movement of the mobile device.
Currently, residential appliances are not manufactured with locks. Due to this lack of locking capability, the appliances are not suitable for use in mobile applications such as RV or marine use.
Further, when approaching an appliance, one cannot always determine immediately whether the appliance is locked in a closed position or not. When trying to open a locked appliance, a user pulls the door or drawer open and reaches a hard stop which can be painful. This is undesirable.
It would be desirable to provide an appliance which may be used to retrofit residential appliances or may be installed at time of manufacture. Further it would be desirable to provide locking capability for both drawers and doors.
Likewise, it would be desirable to provide a lock assembly which clearly notifies a user when the appliance is either locked or unlocked.
Still further, it would be desirable to provide a lock assembly which moves to an unlocked position upon closing of the door or drawer so that a manual movement of the lock assembly is not required by a user.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.